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What is Good?
The prophet Micah preached during the time before God’s people were led away into captivity. His message was one of warning: God is displeased with you. He is coming to punish you if you do not turn from your wicked ways and serve Him.
In Micah 6:6-8, he brought the Israelites to a decision point: “What shall we do? What does God want? 1000 sacrifices? 10,000 rivers of oil? How about my first-born?” But God did not require any of those things. He had already told them what He wanted.
“He has told you, O man, what is good.” The NKJV has “he has shown you.” That word means “announced, informed, given.” How had God told them and shown them? Through the Law. This is likely a reference to Deut. 10:12-13: “What does the Lord your God require from you, but to fear the Lord your God, to walk in all His ways and love Him, and to serve the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul, and to keep the Lord’s commandments and His statutes which I am commanding you today for your good?” God had told them what was good and that it was for their good.
Good can be a subjective term. What is good for you may not be good for me. “That was a good game.” What if my team lost? “That was a good movie.” What if I fell asleep in the first scene? “He was a good man.” What if he was immoral? What is good? Can I be sure?
With God, you don’t have to guess. He has shown us Jesus, the Good Teacher and Good Shepherd. He has given us the gospel, the good news. He has told us that a fruit of the Spirit is goodness. “He has told you, O man, what is good.”
You can be a good soldier (2 Tim. 2:1-4). A good soldier suffers hardship. There will be difficult battles and a daily war. There will be separation from those you love. You will be put in harm’s way. But you can still be a good soldier. While Hymanaeus and Alexander suffered shipwreck with their faith, a good solider suffers hardship.
A good soldier does not entangle himself in the affairs of life. A single focus is required. The Christian’s battle is waged forward, not backward or to the right and left. The things of this world that entangle you will eventually overcome you (2 Pet. 2:20-22). God has told you; you don’t have to guess about how to be a good soldier.
You can fight the good fight (1 Tim. 6:11-12). A good solider is involved in fighting the good fight. To fight means “to struggle, strive” and involves an “intense effort.” Remember, this is a battle for the soul. You are enlisting in the army of the Lord.
But not all fighting is “good.” Some fight with God (Acts 5:39, 26:14). Some fight with self (Jam. 4:1). Some fight with others (Rom. 12:18, 14:9; 2 Tim. 2:23). None of these are the good fight. Don’t spend your time or waste your energy on them. God has told you; you don’t have to guess.
You can make the good confession (1 Tim. 6:12-14). Many people would not put “good” and “confession” together. They think of confession only in the sense of “‘fessing up” or “going to confession.” The Bible does speak of the need to confess our sins (1 John 1:9; James 5:16), leading to the saying that “confession is good for the soul.” But what is the good confession?
To confess is to “say the same thing.” When you confess your faith in Jesus as the Son of God, you say the same thing God said about Him (Matt. 3:17, 17:5). This the eunuch did before he was baptized (Acts 8:37). This is not a one-time confession but a life-long profession. With the heart you believe, and with the mouth you confess. Do you believe? Then speak with certainty! God has told you this is good.
You can receive the reward of a good and faithful servant (Matt. 25:21,23). Two servants were very different. One received five talents; one received two. One gained five more talents; one gained two more. One did not cry, “No fair!” that he had more responsibility; one did not complain that he didn’t receive as much as the other. Both servants went to work with what they had been given.
And both servants received the same commendation from their Master. They were called “good.” Good servants go about doing good deeds. You don’t have to guess what those are.
At the end of the good fight, the good solider who has made the good confession as a good servant can enter the good life. Isn’t God good?
